Senior Analyst for Program Effectiveness, University Communications

University of Virginia•Charlottesville, VA

3d•$85,000 - $100,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The primary goal of University Communications is to showcase the University of Virginia as a model of excellence in public higher education through effective and engaging communications and marketing. Our aim is not only to inform but to inspire our audiences, building brand affinity and ensuring the impact of the University is widely recognized across the UVA community, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and beyond. We are a team of talented communications and marketing professionals who embrace collaboration and foster a culture where the exchange of ideas and a commitment to continuous improvement are essential to strengthening our work. Building on University Communications’ substantial investment in its Performance Effectiveness Plan and related dashboard, the Senior Analyst will help operationalize this measurement framework and champion the team’s growth toward excellence in data-informed decision-making. The Senior Analyst will serve as a strategic partner to teams across our department, helping them analyze and interpret data, extract insights, identify trends and opportunities, and apply findings to future communications and marketing strategies. The ideal candidate will be competent in data collection and analysis while also effectively communicating their point of view on what the data means and how it should help shape our approach to our work. Reporting to the Associate Vice President for Marketing and Brand Strategy, this position will support and influence work across University Communications, including marketing campaigns, communications plans, media relations efforts, brand initiatives, content distributed across our channels such as UVA Today, social media and websites, and other department priorities. The role will help ensure that insights gleaned from analyses of campaign and channel performance, audience behavior, brand perception, and engagement trends are consistently reviewed, understood, and used to improve outcomes.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, business, data analytics, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.
Minimum of 2 years of experience in marketing research, data analytics, business intelligence, or a related field.
Expertise in evaluating marketing metrics, audience behavior, and brand health.
Proven ability to translate research data into actionable insights that inform strategic decisions.
Experience with A/B testing, social sentiment analysis, and online reputation management.
Excellent communication skills, with the ability to communicate complex data and research findings clearly to non-technical audiences and demonstrate how insights can be applied to their strategies and work.
Strong leadership skills, with experience in managing research programs and driving data-informed decision-making.
Strong consultative skills, with the ability to collaborate across teams and influence work through insight, evidence, and clear recommendations.
Excellent organizational and project-management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and recurring reporting cycles.
High attention to detail and commitment to data accuracy, clarity, and usefulness.
Curiosity, sound judgment, and the ability to ask strong questions that help teams better understand performance and audience behavior.

Nice To Haves

Proficiency with tools such as Excel, Snowflake, GA4, Data Studio, SQL, and other tools used for data manipulation, analysis, and reporting.
Experience with web and social media analytics, media monitoring, email analytics, and campaign reporting.
Experience in higher education, nonprofit, agency, media, marketing, or other complex mission-driven organizations.
Experience helping teams adopt new measurement practices, dashboards, reporting processes, or data-informed ways of working.
Project management experience.

Responsibilities

Operationalize and continue to mature the department’s annual performance effectiveness plan, championing the program with energy and discipline until data-informed decision-making becomes second nature to our entire department during the regular planning and execution of our work.
Help teams move beyond activity-based reporting toward a deeper understanding of outcomes, impact, audience behavior, and strategic effectiveness.
Oversee large-scale annual brand perception studies and smaller pulse studies to assess audience sentiment, brand awareness, and gaps in knowledge.
Analyze performance across paid, earned, shared, owned, and brand-related channels to assess how effectively University Communications is reaching, engaging, and influencing key audiences.
Analyze and report on the performance of content, channels, initiatives, and campaigns to determine their impact and effectiveness.
Design and implement A/B tests to evaluate and refine communication strategies, ensuring that messaging resonates effectively with target audiences across various platforms and demographics.
Serve as a consultative partner to teams across University Communications, helping colleagues interpret data and apply insights to planning and execution.
Provide a clear, evidence-informed point of view on how results should shape communications strategy, content development, channel planning, and audience engagement.
Translate complex data and research findings into concise, compelling narratives for leaders, communicators, and cross-functional partners.
Provide training on interpreting and utilizing data, including metrics, trends, audience engagement, and brand perception.
Build and oversee annual brand perception studies to assess the strength and clarity of UVA’s brand; understand audience behaviors and sentiment; evaluate messaging resonance; and identify implications for our work.
Manage and optimize the department’s custom performance effectiveness dashboard, including the product roadmap for dashboard enhancements, in partnership with channel owners.
Analyze UVA's online reputation, including social sentiment, community engagement, and earned media, to ensure proactive brand reputation management.
Communicate key findings and recommendations to the Leadership Council and other stakeholders to assess performance and, where needed, inform strategic adjustments.
Ensure that research findings are translated into action to improve and optimize our communications and marketing efforts.